Google Authenticator now allows synchronization of two-factor codes across accounts

In the event of upgrading to a new phone, your one-time codes will be conveniently accessible as soon as you log in to your Google account.

Google Authenticator has finally added a feature that many of its users have long requested: the ability to sync two-factor authentication codes to their Google accounts. This means that if you lose or replace your phone, or if it gets stolen, you can still access your accounts from another device without having to go through the setup process again. Cloud syncing is already available in other two-factor tools like Authy, but it has taken Google quite some time to bring this feature to Authenticator, which was launched back in 2010.

According to Christiaan Brand, a representative of Google, one of the main concerns raised by users was the difficulty of dealing with lost or stolen devices that had Google Authenticator installed. Because one-time codes in Authenticator were stored on a single device, losing that device would result in the loss of the user's ability to sign in to any service using Authenticator. With cloud syncing, one-time codes are now more durable as they are safely stored in the user's Google account, making users less vulnerable to lockout and increasing both convenience and security.

To use this feature, users will need to update to the latest version of the Authenticator app for Android and iOS. While cloud syncing may make one-time passcodes easier to use, it could also potentially make Google accounts more tempting targets for hackers. However, syncing accounts is optional, and users can still rely on Google's standard security measures to keep their accounts safe.

In addition to the new syncing feature, the Authenticator app has also updated its logo to a colorful asterisk, moving away from the previous drab vault look.